Curly lambs & controversy!

7th March

Highs today included these crazy, fabulous looking sheep appearing in the field outside - they are very striking and truly massive - the huge ones are like big llamas!

Also saw some brand new 'standard' lambs which David had put tiny rain coats on - just when you think you've seen it all!

It was also our first bin day - we really know how to live as we have to leave the bins/recycling the best part of a mile away for collection. Wonder if we can ask for a discount on the council tax......... ;)

Low point was Andy have to clear out a rats nest as the builders that renovated the cottage thoughtfully left their tea, coffee, long life milk etc in our woodshed.

Still lots of unpacking and organising in the barn so cracking on......

8th March

We have Ian and Keith the builders for company this morning. It was always the deal that with a newly renovated but very old cottage, there will be things that need fixing along the way. Today, amongst other things, the boys are looking at a leaky bath, a leaky shower, noisy and spurty hot water, a faulty radiator, a wobbly loo seat, a few stuck windows, a dodgy catch on a barn door and some floor trims that have parted company with the floor.

Ian has been telling me some recent history of the cottage – I’m looking forward to doing some more research myself when we eventually get some internet.

So apparently in 1977 an American woman lived here, and she abducted a Morman lad and held him captive, tied to a bed in the room that is now our kitchen. She sexually assaulted him for a number of days before he escaped.

* Edit 20th March - My parents actually remembered the story of Joyce McKinney kidnapping Kirk Anderson and there are many articles to be found - here's one. Sounds like it was quite a media sensation, so much so that a documentary film, Tabloid, was made about it all.

She has more recently been in the news as one of the first people to clone a dog in South Korea. A colourful character hey?!

Some might have thought moving to a remote cottage in Dartmoor was quite radical, but I feel we are conservative tenants by comparison to creepy Joyce!

In my somewhat less controversial life, my first solo trip in to Okehampton for shopping was successful – my first Lidl experience, combined with a bit of Waitrose and absolutely no mormans....... ;-)